Glen Meadow hosts 5th grade experience night

Glen Meadow Middle School students and teachers hosted a 5th Grade Glen Meadow Experience Night on Jan. 30.

During the evening, Lounsberry Hollow 5th grade students came to explore various academic classes which they will experience when they transfer to Glen Meadow next year. Not only did they meet future teachers and their school counselor, but they also interacted with students who will be their peers.

Glen Meadow Middle School Principal Rosemary Gebhardt welcomed the fifth graders and parents to the building and introduced Vernon Superintendent of Schools Karen D’Avino and Assistant Principal Doctor Erik Kosek.

Gebhardt told the students that they would get a glimpse of what it will be like in their classes next year. She said they would see how their education will expand and grow, while going through the building and getting the lay of the land. Furthermore, Gebhardt reminded the students to notice the wide variety of after-school clubs and sports.

“If you think it and organize it; we can have it,” Gebhardt said.

Middle School Student ambassadors led groups of 5th graders and parents to different rooms, allowing them to experience: an Escape Room in the library, Social Studies, Language Arts, Math, Science, Physical Education, and Coding/Robotics.

“It’s really about transitions and helping students transition from one building to another building,” Gebhardt said.

She said they wanted to make the students feel comfortable and secure about coming to a new building.

Gebhardt continued that when they had had their sporting/electives night, the students sampled everything in the gym. They had walked around, she said, and looked at all the “specials” - things Glen Meadow offers which are different from Lounsberry Hollow.

Glen Meadow Middle School students ran all of the rooms. Gebhardt said she had all of the fifth-grade students when she was the principal at Walnut Ridge.

For the Escape Room in the library, students answered questions and found a book with the next clue.

The students kept encouraging each other to stop running, as they rushed from one clue to the next.

At the end, they found a keypad, input a code, opened a box, and found an overview of Language Arts, Social Studies, and lolly pops.

In the Math room, Glen Meadow students ran the game, “Are you smarter than a 5th Grader?” They explained that they play a lot of games in math in order to learn.

Teams competed unraveling word problems, recalling Periodic Table elements and a state capital.

In Science, middle school students demonstrated making Elephant toothpaste from yeast, floating and sinking soda cans based on density, making water bottle lava lamps, and displaying a model of DaVinci’s Bridge, held together by gravity and friction, without nails, screws, or glue.

Robotics/Coding STEAM teacher Ben Joseph gave students an overview of Robotics and Coding. As part of Lego League, he explained, they complete missions and challenges. Additionally, he said, they use Lego Mindstorms to work with friends to solve a problem or invent their own robot.

Several students demonstrated their ability to code using robotics and completing missions.

Zach demonstrated his JD Robot, which waved to everyone. Later, Zach had his robot dance the “YMCA” dance and do push-ups.